Gig reviews: Mika @ Bercy in Paris, France

The show at Bercy was such a spectacle it’s difficult to even start to describe it. I’m going to just collect my thoughts and share photos to give an overview of it. I genuinely think everything went really well. I can’t say if it all went like Mika had originally planned it but from the audience perspective everything looked smooth and little mistakes we saw or heard were only minor and didn’t disturb the show at all.

Mika sounded good. He was occasionally out of breath, of course, but that can’t be avoided when running around a stage this big. Show elements were massive and included background films and animations inside enormous M I K A letters, a huge lighted construction on the smaller stage (Arc de Triomphe), a massive throne and a cake, a big Mika style heart with wings, confetti rains, red and white dressed dancers and similar color schemed heart flags.

The show was grandiose and not sure it that’s a totally suitable word but I mean it in a positive way and say it with love. It was very Mika style, this is one of the reasons I like him so much. There’s still a child inside of him and he managed to make a massive show at Bercy look not only hard work, pressure and schedules but also a thrilling challenge and an opportunity to use his wildest ideas.

Concerts this big are more for him than for the audience. His singing was aimed to further galaxies and I generally prefer more basic concerts like the one in Strasbourg but it doesn’t make this one any less special, it was equally or even more precious but for very different reasons. This was important for him, we could see how well he prepared and the amount of money and hours put into it must have been enormous. I found it a bit disturbing that recording the show was a priority and that he had to speak to TV channels in the middle of the love letter to Paris but I totally understand it had to be done and I’m grateful a massive show like this could be put together whatever deals it took.

I saw the previous two Paris gigs and the big Milan gig seated and always regretted being so far away and not being able to see details or dance (in Milan it was even strictly forbidden) so after considering whether to sit or stand I finally went for standing. We couldn’t know in advance where to find a good view and I chose the big stage instead of the catwalk/second stage like seemed to be a good option at PDP but noticed my decision wrong since the beginning of the show as he used mainly the catwalk/small stage like at Rock In Rio. At that point it was too late for me to use my seat (unfortunately, the view would have been nice) so I watched most songs from behind and far away.

I could still see many details and elements before they were transferred to the end of the catwalk and luckily the end of Happy Ending and Last Party happened directly in front of me and that made me in tears of happiness as they are always my favorite parts and I was already feeling emotional and touched by the whole event. Because I couldn’t see the performances I carefully watched the background clips and pictures and admired how impressive they looked, all well made and variable.

Everything started with a dozen of dancers dressed in red jackets like solders hanging out here and there around the stage for a while until Mika came on stage and started the show. The set list was surprisingly very basic and familiar only a couple of French songs added. The special nature of the event came from show elements and they were impressive, to be honest much more impressive than I had expected.

My biggest favorites were Les Baisers Perdus with an extremely beautiful, talented circus performance – the song is delicate and loved it how the performance could be seen in shadows both sides of the stage – and Underwater with strings and 20 000 people in the audience singing the chorus and waving lights like thousands of stars on the sky. Maybe the most beautiful Underwater moment I’ve seen. Loved also the the similar costumes on Mika and the young boy giving the idea of a king and young prince and very much enjoyed Last Party (as a song) and Love Today.

I kind of missed many songs because they happened on the other stage and wished I could have seen Love Today Tristan playing the opening in front of the audience. He looks young and I can remember how scared he seemed to be when he started in the band, soon he was having fun in the corner, then got his solo part hiding behind the gates and had now a role directly in front of the audience. So pleased to see Mika giving him some spotlight.

In the end of the show Mika came on stage inside of a magical sparkling cake, the whole band played vividly and everything ended under colorful confetti rain. I was located next to a confetti machine and literally had my eyes and mouth full of paper. What a fantastic, colorful ending for the spectacle.

I felt happy and grateful I was able to see the show, just being there was enough. Mika was like a little boy playing with his costumes. His whole family was there to support him. The girls were there, even his little nephew was there. I know that creating a show like this means professional designing and planning, numerous hours of work and a lot of money but that’s still the impression I got. Melts my heart.

Post navigation

Categories

Categories

Archives

Archives

Search for:

Privacy Settings

We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy